Moran: Mr. 'Popular' Charlie Baker is standing tall

Wednesday

Apr 19, 2017 at 8:00 PM

Mike MoranColumnist

If Charlie Baker walked into a hardware store in Secaucus, New Jersey on a typical Saturday morning, it’s doubtful that anyone would recognize him. I’m not saying he wouldn’t be noticed. That’s because at 6 feet 6 inches tall, the Bay State’s governor surely would attract some attention. But he would still need to show some form of identification if he wanted to write a check.

I point this out because we’ve recently learned that Charlie Baker was named the most popular governor in the country. A pretty nifty distinction, wouldn’t you say? And therefore you might think he’d draw a crowd anywhere he visits from sea to shining sea. That is, until you pause for a moment to consider how that “most popular” designation was determined.

Media research company Morning Consult conducted the poll, asking voters in every state to rate their governor. Baker landed on top of the heap with a 75 percent approval rating.

Once I got past the headline and read the whole story, it made much more sense. This wasn’t a nationwide popularity contest placing all 50 governors in a side by side comparison. It was the voters from each state rating their own governor. Until that sank in, I wondered if Baker was cultivating a countrywide reputation, positioning himself for national office. Frankly, I’ll bet there are many Republicans who wish he would do exactly that.

Still, the results of this new poll give Baker reason to walk with a little spring in his step. This particular Republican, one who governs a state that consistently votes Democratic, has got to feel pretty good about his chances for re-election in 2018. By all appearances, the high approval rating is the result of Baker’s ability to reach out to various constituencies within Massachusetts and achieve consensus — no small feat considering the nation’s current political climate.

Baker has shown a businesslike leadership style while battling the opioid crisis, embracing a renewable energy policy, conducting an overhaul of the MBTA, and holding the line on taxes. In January’s State of the State Address, the first-term governor poked fun at himself, referring to his administration as “boring.” “No fights. No yelling. No partisan scrums," he said. Just take a moment and contrast that with his GOP counterpart in the White House.

Predictably, hard core conservatives will dismiss Baker’s style as being far too conciliatory. He opposes Sheriff Tom Hodgson’s view that mayors presiding over so-called “sanctuary cities” should be placed under arrest. What a softie, right?

Instead, while he won’t designate Massachusetts as a sanctuary state, Baker says that his administration “deeply values Massachusetts' rich, global community” and that he “fully supports the discretion of local officials to make their own decisions on public safety policies.” Eye-rolling conservatives will surely have none of that.

So just imagine the Democrats who are contemplating a possible run against Mr. 75 Percent next year. Setti Warren, the mayor of Newton, is thinking about taking the plunge. And Jay Gonzalez, former Gov. Deval Patrick’s Secretary for Administration and Finance, has already declared his candidacy. These two are about as popular in Fall River as Baker is in Secaucus, at least right now. At the same time, an actual well-known Democrat, Attorney General Maura Healey, sees the writing on the wall and appears to be taking a pass on the governor’s office.

So if Charlie Baker is the most popular governor in the nation, who’s the least popular? Ironically, it’s the guy Baker endorsed for President last year — New Jersey Gov. Chris Christie. The Morning Consult survey has him at 25 percent approval rating.

So if Gov. Christie walked into a hardware store on Secaucus on a typical Saturday morning, he’d be recognized immediately — and for all the wrong reasons. Maybe he should ask Charlie Baker to go along with him.

Mike Moran is a well-known SouthCoast media personality. His column appears in The Herald News every Thursday. Email him at mikemoranfr@aol.com.

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